Accident

T

TFSI

New member
So, I got rear ended Sunday night.

I was sitting at a stop light, waiting for the light to turn. I was planning on turning left at said light, with my blinker flashing accordingly. The light turned green, and WHAM! The guy who was stopped behind me just went for it, forgetting that somebody was in front of him...

My car looked fine, the bumper is scratched and dented, but otherwise pretty decent. His car is fucked up! His hood was dented and pushed back towards his windshield, his "body kit" was in a few pieces in the front, and the front/side panels of his car were busted too.

His insurance is covering the whole thing, since it's pretty much his fault, and undisputable. It just blows that the first accident I get into is in my brand new car...

The good news is, if you want to be rear ended, a Ford Focus takes a pretty decent hit! Sturdy little bugger...
 
Before settling take your car to a body shop and have them look it over REAL well. Just because all you see is a dent and a few scrapes doesn't mean there aren't other problems.

Bumpers used to be able to take a 5 mile an hour impact. Anymore they're totally decorative and provide little, if any protection.

Most cars have "crumple" zones that absorb impact by crushing in a controlled manner. In an accident like yours the members of the rear crush zone may have crumpled a bit but not enough for you to notice. However, they are designed to work ONCE. After that, even if they don't collapse they won't work properly anymore.

They're designed such that they provide a certain amount of rigidity before they start to collapse. If they've begun collapsing they'll lack that initial rigidity so if you get hit again the back of your car will be severely lacking in what it can protect you from.

The rule of thumb is this: If it fucks his car up, it fucks your car up.
 
I am not injured, the impact was at a fairly low speed, since it happened from a stop. I am not going to claim injury either... My whole family is worried about my back, since I have other issues going on there that may require surgery. I had a headache for the first night, but other than that, no issues.

My car is in a shop as we speak. Since it's brand new, you better be damned sure that I'm making them look at everything. I love that little car, since it's my first "new" car.
 
I'm glad to hear you're ok Shami. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, and it also feels a bit backhanded to say this, but I'm also glad to hear a Focus can take a hit so well and leave you uninjured. My girlfriend just got one, an 05. Thanks for field testing for me! ;)
 
My friend went through the same thing, but she suffered the effects of whiplash about 3-4 days after the accident. You should go to the doc and mechanic just to make sure everything is on the up and up. Good luck with that.
 
Seems to always happen with rear-ended accidents. I rear-ended a friend and her car had a small scratch on the bumper while the front end of my car was completely fucked beyond repair.
 
That's because all cars are manufactured to crumple in the front and not as much in the rear. Not all crumple zones are created equal.

I know Shami's got her's being checked out but the point still stands that in any accident that leaves either car with obvious damage you should have the other car checked out as a precaution.

Besides, their insurance might cut you a check for the damage. In most states the law doesn't say you have to use that check to fix the car though.
 
yanno what doesnt take a rear hit so well? Neons. Those suck ass. I got rearended in my neon and it cracked the frame. Granted I was stopped at a red light and the shitkicker teen that hit me was in a giant ass pick up with an iron girder cattle guard....whilst hauling a boat.
 
^ lol

But hey glad to hear that you're not hurt. And as Uberskippy told you, be sure that they check and double check your car.
 
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